arm's length

noun

1

: a distance discouraging personal contact or familiarity

kept former friends at arm's length now

2

: the condition or fact that the parties to a transaction are independent and on an equal footing

arm's-length

ˈärmz-ˈleŋ(k)th 

-ˈlen(t)th

adjective

Examples of arm's length in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not much is known about the inner workings of the invite-only gathering, where members of the media are kept within arm's length. —Aron Solomon, Newsweek, 9 July 2024

Watching that from arm's length is hardly riveting. —EW.com, 10 Nov. 2023

Originally made for Netflix, that Daredevil has since overlapped with the official MCU (with Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock popping up in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk) but exists at an arm's length from the cosmic adventures of the Avengers or the Guardians of the Galaxy. —EW.com, 6 Nov. 2023

Sit about an arm's length from the computer screen. —Kelyn Soong The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

arm's length

noun

: the condition of the parties to a business deal in which each has independent interests and one does not dominate the other

—often used in the phrase at arm's length

a contract made at arm's length

arm's-length adjective